This invention relates in general to a hand held, portable self driven chain saw of the type used to cut wood. More particularly, the invention relates to a chain saw with a guide attachment mounted to the chain bar which extends beyond the saw chain and shields the saw chain so that the guide can engage a guiding surface as the unshielded portion of the saw chain cuts a work product.
Chain saws have been utilized for rough cutting purposes where the relatively unskilled operator can cut. The advantages of the chain saw include portability, ease of handling in various attitudes and rapid cutting action. Although the above noted advantages of the chain saw make it a highly useful cutting tool in rough cut situations, the chain saw is not very useful by the average operator when very accurate cuts in a wood product must be made.
For example, the fact that the chain saw is hand held by its operator and is a relatively large, heavy and cumbersome tool usually prevents the operator from making accurate cuts as would be required when building rustic furniture, log cabins and other objects which could be formed by a chain saw if the saw could be accurately manipulated during its cutting function.
A few guide devices have been conceived in the past which assist the chain saw operator in handling the chain saw when making relatively accurate cuts. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,051,203, 3,864,830 and 4,173,240 disclose attachments that can be fastened to chain saws and which engage a work product or an attachment to the work product and guide the saw chain during its cutting function. However, these prior art chain saw guide attachments appear to be relatively large and cumbersome and difficult to attach to and remove from the saw or the work product.